Nokia Readies for Battle in Android Space with Normandy Handset

If you've been stalking Nokia, you may be privy to its rumored plans to launch a smartphone codenamed Normandy. A press photo and codename of the device were leaked to the web in November via Twitter user "evleaks," and though we didn't deem it particularly newsworthy at the time (hence why there's no prior mention of the device here at HotHardware), it has our attention now.

Citing "multiple sources," The Verge says Normandy isn't an upcoming Lumia phone, but an Android device. Let that sink in for a moment because it's interesting on at least a couple of different levels, the first of which is that Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Nokia's handset division. Assuming Microsoft has little-to-no interest in peddling a low cost Android phone over its own Windows Phone lineup, the existence of Normandy at this time is a little quirky. It brings up the question of whether or not Nokia will attempt to push Normandy out the door before the Microsoft deal is done, and if not, what will Microsoft do with the device?

Image Source: Twitter (@evleaks)

The other interesting thing here is that Normandy is said to be running a forked version of Android similar in concept to Amazon's Fire OS, which is based on Android. Whether or not it will be able to tap into Google Play isn't known, though the above mentioned sources say it will run all the top Android apps, including Skype.

In any event, those who apparently in the know say Normandy is definitely in full development and slated for a 2014 release, meaning all of our questions should be answered soon enough.